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Landscape shrubs for shade


30 Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Shade

By

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. He was in the nursery business for over a decade, working with a large variety of plants. David has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and national U.S. magazines, such as Woman's World and American Way.

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Updated on 09/09/22

Reviewed by

Kathleen Miller

Reviewed by Kathleen Miller

Kathleen Miller is a highly-regarded Master Gardener and Horticulturist who shares her knowledge of sustainable living, organic gardening, farming, and landscape design. She founded Gaia's Farm and Gardens, a working sustainable permaculture farm, and writes for Gaia Grows, a local newspaper column. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming.

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Fact checked by

Sarah Scott

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Sarah Scott is a fact-checker and researcher who has worked in the custom home building industry in sales, marketing, and design.

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The Spruce / Catherine Song

Shrubs that grow in shade can add color and cheer to drab nooks as well as canopy-covered areas of your property. Ranging from short bushes to tall hedges, shade-loving shrubbery includes both evergreen and deciduous plants.

Some shade-tolerant shrubs produce beautiful blossoms, while others are famous for their attractive foliage. Many offer year-round appeal, making them perfect for shady yards where sun-loving plants simply cannot thrive.

Learn about 30 low-maintenance shrubs that will spruce up shaded areas of your lawn and garden without a lot of effort.

Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Shade

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. A Dangerous Garden Thug Exposed: Daphne Laureola. Master Gardeners Association of British Columbia.

  2. Labossiere Alexander W., Thompson Dennis F. Clinical Toxicology of Yew Poisoning. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, vol. 52, no. 6, pp. 591-599, 2018. doi:10.1177/1060028017754225

  3. Amelanchier alnifolia. Missouri Botanical Garden.

  4. Hamamelis virginiana. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas.

  5. Red Buckeye. University of Kentucky, Department of Horticulture.

  6. Japanese Skimmia. Washington State University Extension PNW Plants.

29 Best Shrubs for Shade Gardens

By

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers is a seasoned horticulturist, writer, and educator with over 10 years of training and experience as a professional horticulturist and gardener. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, with an emphasis in landscape design and urban horticulture. She volunteers as a community garden specialist.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 06/15/22

The Spruce

It can be tough designing a garden in a shady area. You have to make sure you choose the right shrubs for the conditions. Without the proper amount of sun, flowering shrubs may fail to produce blossoms or bloom poorly, and many shrubs will perform poorly overall. Deep shade can even kill your plants unless they are species that naturally grow in shade. The following plants are able to grow in at least part shade, and some can handle full shade.

Warning

Many shrubs that grow in shade are toxic, including:

How to Design a Garden for Partial Shade

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Ribes alpinum. Missouri Botanical Garden

  2. Aucuba japonica. North Carolina State University Extension

  3. Rhododendron. Missouri Botanical Garden

  4. Forrester, M B. Pediatric Nandina domestica ingestions reported to poison centers. Human & experimental toxicology vol. 37,4 (2018): 338-342. doi:10.1177/0960327117705429

  5. Hydrangea blooms turn colors based on soil pH levels. College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, UGA Cooperative Extension

  6. Pieris japonica. North Carolina State University Extension

  7. Idaho Panhandle National Forests - Learning Center.

  8. Aesculus pavia. North Carolina State University Extension

  9. Skimmia japonica. Oregon State University, College of Agricultural Sciences - Department of Horticulture

  10. Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. California Native Plant Society, Calscape

Shady garden shrubs | Sadovoe obozreniye/Garden review

Equipping our garden, we draw a plan at least in our heads for a long time, make lists of plants to create an ideal landscape. And we often get lost, discovering how many places on the site where the shadow reigns, it is always cool and damp. Grass grows poorly there, even the most shade-tolerant perennials suffer from diseases, slugs and snails. Nevertheless, one wants to populate such places with plants, not only decorative, but also edible. And preferably from the tree group.

The traditional list of shade-tolerant shrubs for the middle zone looks something like this: common privet, shiny honeysuckle, snowberry, holly mahonia and St. John's wort. Despite the scarcity of this list, I must say that it does not always make sense to plant these plants in a deep shade. Firstly, the most beautiful forms with variegated or golden foliage will definitely not please you there. Secondly, although the beautiful mahonia is tolerant of the degree of illumination, in shady places it almost always suffers from powdery mildew, and in the middle lane it also freezes to the level of snow cover.

I want to add some plants to that list.

Various types of willow can grow in damp shade. I like this place and hydrangeas. But not everyone. Varietal panicled hydrangeas require at least 3-4 hours of sunlight per day. Large-leaved hydrangea will also bloom in the shade, but the number of inflorescences will be less, and the inflorescences themselves will be poorer. But fragrant raspberries, even in damp shade, will actively grow, surprising with their pink flowers and coral fruits.

In dense shade from trees, boldly plant pachysandra apical.

In semi-shady places with heavy soils, it is better to plant barberry (common or Ottawa), early weigela, turf, spirea. Forsythia and cinquefoil will look great here. The lack of light in the morning will slightly weaken the flowering, and in the Ottawa barberry it will make the color of the leaves less saturated. Unfortunately, in the shade and dampness, the barberry suffers from powdery mildew, and the turf from scale insects. Therefore, protective spraying of these plants is required.

Conclusion: Before buying seedlings, you need to carefully read the "biography" of a particular plant to determine if it is suitable for your garden, where it can be planted and how it will have to be looked after.

Shadow -bearing, quite decorative, although weaker than in more illuminated places are bloomed:

Barberry and Ottavsky

Barberry Tunberg (green -faceted forms)

Birch Birch

Biryuchini

Buzins red and red black

blooming and early weigela

tree and paniculate hydrangea

derain

Tatar and brilliant honeysuckle

St. John's wort calyx

IVO (Most species)

Kalina red

Lapceta

Harvest

Magonia Padubolitny

Malina fragrant

Verusionaure

Bubble of Kalinolite

Blagomeniy

Secomoi Complex alpine currant

forsythia

mock orange.

Shade and shade tolerant garden plants

Shade-loving shrubs in the garden - these are the plants without which it is difficult to imagine a suburban area. It is on them that the responsibility lies to create harmony around. Shade-loving ornamental plants for the garden can create mystery, or they can, on the contrary, add bright colors. Landscape designers love to accent the flowerbed with garden plants that love shade. But not only professionals can highlight the necessary nuances in a flower bed. This is for everyone. In this article, we will explain how shade-tolerant trees and shrubs, as well as flowers, create an overall picture of an attractive site.

What plants grow in the shade

First you need to find out if all shade-tolerant ornamental plants for the garden can grow in full shade. In this article, we will not be able to cover the entire list, but we will try to describe the most prominent representatives of plants for shady places.

As already mentioned, in nature there are many horticultural crops that grow successfully in the shade. Among them there are those who prefer partial shade or even complete shade; there are plants that grow successfully in the shade, but at the same time love dry places, and there are moisture-loving plants. No matter what requirements perennial flowers and shrubs “set” for gardeners, everyone can still find their hero.

At the same time, we hasten to assure you that plants with shade-tolerant properties can still delight you with their flowering. How to properly plant shade-loving plants and what shrubs can be planted in the shade - this will be discussed in the next section.

To begin with, it is worth saying that for the most part perennials are shade-loving shrubs, which in nature are often found in forests. Therefore, such cultures can, without harm to themselves, be content with a minimum of light. But this does not mean that you can plant any plant on your site. Decide, for starters, which shrubs for the garden will feel comfortable in your climate. After that, decide on a place in your area.

There are practically no difficulties here - we plant sun-loving plants in a bright place, and shade-loving plants under the shade of buildings or tall trees. If you do not want to risk the brightness of the color of the leaves or the splendor of flowering, then you better heed this advice.

When choosing shade-loving perennials for your garden, keep the big picture in mind. If you have only a couple of acres of land, then you should not decorate your territory with tall crops. Pay better attention to winter-hardy low-growing shrubs that can ideally fit into your small cozy world.

Hedges can be formed from medium-sized shrubs that have a dense crown. These ornamental bushes for the garden and summer cottages will attractively decorate your site. Juniper has been coping with this task for a long time and everywhere.

In addition to flowering shrubs, there are those that bloom not as attractively as we would like, but at the same time they have such amazing foliage (color, shape) that this more than compensates for the weak flowering.

Shrubs are the best assistant in garden zoning. With their help, it is easy to determine where the recreation area begins and ends, and where the garden. In addition, shrubs help define the path or shade planted sun-loving flowers. And fast-growing fruit trees or fruit bushes will bring a double benefit - the harvest of fruits and berries.

The fact that shade-loving shrubs are slightly indifferent to the sun does not mean that they do not care what kind of soil they will be planted in. On the contrary, we urge you to pay special attention to this moment. A flower that grows in the shade in the country or fruit trees growing in the shade of the garden love moist, but drained soil. Plants growing in their natural environment are accustomed to moist soil. On a site with dry sandy soil, additional watering will need to be considered. But don't overdo it. Most shade-loving plants have a thick root that grows not deep, but in breadth, along the surface. So if you let the water stand or don't think of drainage, their roots will rot. To avoid this, add pebbles or broken bricks for drainage to the bottom of the planting hole.

The soil should be nutritious but light, like under deciduous trees in forests. If the soil on your site is poor, then it does not matter - enrich it with compost or humus. Don't forget acidity.

Shade-loving beautiful flowers are more delicate plants than garden trees or shrubs. About the features of care and types in the next section.

Shade-tolerant garden flowers

There are many types of flowers that are not capricious, growing in the shade of the garden. On a hot summer day, you can enjoy not only the shade from the foliage of trees, but also the flowering of your favorite flowers.

As the song says, “nature has no bad weather”, which means that the manifestations of weather conditions cannot harm someone, but benefit someone. Nature, created so wisely and sensitively, is not mistaken. People make mistakes when plants are planted incorrectly. And even on the north side of the garden, shade-loving beautiful garden flowers can grow in the shade, you just need to choose the right kind.

Shade-loving garden flowers have many types. What are the most famous flowers in our area:

Oak anemone or anemone . Blooms as a signal that spring is approaching. Together with the first swelling buds, the anemone also blooms. It blooms until the end of May. Many gardeners use such delicate shade-loving flowers for the garden.

Lily of the valley . This perennial May flower blooms in the midst of spring. Lilies of the valley grow low.

Large Astrantia . This flower has long been popular with gardeners who love astrantia for its amazingly beautiful inflorescence, which many mistake for flowering. Blooms in early July, but is famous not only for flowering, but also for leaves that have a decorative shape.

Corydalis . Loves the northern climate and blooms even under the dense crowns of trees. Blooms from April. Completely maintenance-free.

Dicentra . This plant is an adornment of any flower garden. The dicentra variety "Magnificent" blooms for 1.5 months, starting in May. Variety "Beautiful" blooms almost all summer.

Digitalis or digitalis . This flower has about 35 species, two of which are found in northern Russia and Western Siberia. It is a perennial plant that blooms all summer.

Geranium or crail . This perennial consists of only advantages: beautiful abundant flowering, low bush, multiplies rapidly. Blooms profusely and for a long time.

Liver maker . It will delight you with abundant flowering, subject to four conditions - shade, normal watering, moisture-intensive soil, mulch.

Primrose . A variety of flowers and neat little bushes make primroses a welcome guest in every garden. Blooms begin in April.

Annual flowers that do well in the shade - capuchin or nasturtium, lobelia and ornamental tobacco - and this is not a complete list.

And now we come to the most important and interesting - to the description of what kind of shade-tolerant shrubs can grow in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions of Russia.

Shade-tolerant shrubs

Weigela . This shrub got its name in honor of the German scientist. Weigela's habitat is the southeast of Asia, the Far East, Java. Includes 15 species, of which 7 are cultivated. This ornamental shrub is completely unpretentious in grooming and propagates easily. Like many other shade-loving garden shrubs, these perennial weigels love moisture. Weigela blooms cream, red, pink and yellow.

Spiraea are also unpretentious shrubs and at the same time very beautiful. It has many varieties that bloom in spring and summer. Experienced gardeners plant spirea so that one species finishes its flowering, and the second is just starting - thus, the entire summer season can be observed flowering, and it blooms generously and densely. In addition to flowering, spirea is valued for the decorativeness of its foliage. Spirea is a slow growing low shrub. Unpretentious to the choice of soil for planting. It is worth paying attention to what kind of spirea you are planting, because different varieties relate differently to the shade.

Jasmine . The first thing that comes to mind when you think of jasmine is yes, it's an amazing scent. In addition, it is one of the most beautiful shrubs in the gardens of the entire central strip of Russia. Types and varieties of jasmine differ from each other in size, shape and color. For example, white-flowered jasmine is not afraid of frost and many diseases. Looks good in a group with other shade-loving shrubs. The main "request" of jasmine is to water it well and correctly. Early species begin their flowering in May, late - in September.

Kalina . When we choose berry bushes for our garden, the first thing that comes to mind is viburnum or wild rose. Viburnum blooms with white inflorescences, and bears fruit with bright red berries. You can write a separate article about their usefulness. Viburnum foliage can be juicy green and even red. Kalina has a couple of hundred species, among which there are even evergreens. In our climate, gardeners grow frost-resistant perennial shrubs that begin to bloom from mid-May to late June for about 20 days.

Rosehip . Useful, beautiful, unpretentious - all these words describe one unique shrub. In addition to the fact that rosehip contains 50 times more vitamin C than lemon, it is also amazing in its decorative effect, as well as in the fact that with its thorns it can create a natural fence around your site. It blooms in pink and red (some lovers say that it is no worse than a rose) from May to August.

Lilac . Using the example of these shrubs, you can see that the lilac color has many shades. For many, lilac is like a lily of the valley among flowers - a symbol of the beginning of spring. Lilac cannot be called a low-growing shrub, because it reaches two to three meters in height. Lilac looks beautiful in a single copy, but planting lilac is something amazing. There are many varieties that are resistant to frost and unpretentious in care. Prefers partial shade and space.

Forsythia are ideal garden shrubs. Bright, juicy, early and long-blooming. This sun on your site can form a hedge. Forsythia does not like waterlogging and drafts. Needs shelter for the winter.

Hydrangea . These flowering shrubs are real lifesaver, because they can bloom in places where other shrubs do not even want to grow. Hydrangea loves shade and moist soil. In addition, it is frost resistant. Even cut hydrangea flowers last longer in a vase of water than other plants. Begins to bloom in mid-summer to mid-autumn with white, purple and sky flowers. A good neighbor to clematis, lilies and roses.

Budley David . These ornamental shrubs in our garden appeared relatively recently, but managed to take their place there quite firmly. Amazing aroma comes from blue, lilac, pink flower candles. The color of the budley can please us from mid-summer to almost mid-autumn. It resembles lilacs, which is why it is called autumn lilac. Often, a budlea is planted in a large flowerpot, which decorates the porch.

Action . This shrub will thank you for two months of flowering if you plant it in partial shade away from drafts. It blooms with dense white or pink-white inflorescences. This fairly tall bush can create a hedge on your site.

Japanese quince . A warm climate is suitable for growing quince, but quince can endure winters in the north. True, the annual shoots that the plant gave in spring / autumn will freeze slightly. Quince loves bright areas of the garden, and you may ask - what is she doing in this article? It's just that quince also grows in the shade, but it does not bloom so abundantly.

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